The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

14. The Granger Name

One Year Later

Dioleh couldn't help the warm smile that crossed her lips as she and Hermione walked into the Leaky Cauldron side by side. They had spent the summer together in France after a month of legal battles with the Ministry of Magic courts, but by the end of it, Dioleh Marlow became Dioleh Granger. Upon hearing the young siren's plight, Mr. and Mrs. Granger had insisted on taking her in for the summer between first and second year.

Then they, at Dioleh's request, agreed to adopt her and take her in as a second daughter. For the first time in her life, Dioleh knew what it was like to have a mother and a sister and wouldn't give it up for anything. While she missed her father dearly, Mr. Granger was kind and didn't try to replace her father. He seemed to her to be more like an uncle and she was perfectly fine with that.

"Where did Ron say he'd be, Hermione?" Dioleh asked, looking around the room.

"He should be here somewhere," she replied.

"Oy!" a voice behind them called.

"Ron!" Hermione called, giving him a hug.

"Hey," he said, giving Dioleh a small wave.

"Hey," she replied.

"Come on, let's go find Harry," Hermione said, dragging the two of them off. They looked around everywhere before eventually sitting down outside an ice cream shop.

"You'd think he'd be here somewhere," Ron grumbled.

"There he is," Hermione said, pointing. "Harry! Harry!" Harry turned and smiled at the sight of them.

"Finally!" Ron said as Harry sat down between him and Dioleh. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to the Flourish and Botts, and Madam Malkin's, and-"

"I got all my school stuff last week," Harry said with a laugh. "And how come you knew I was staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Dad," Ron explained simply.

"You really blow up your aunt, Potter?" Dioleh asked with a smirk.

"I didn't mean to," he defended, smiling at Ron who was dying of laughter. "I just - lost control."

"It's not funny," Hermione snapped, shooting Ron and Dioleh a glare. "Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."

"So am I," Harry admitted. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to get arrested." Glancing at Ron, he asked, "Your Dad doesn't know why I got off, does he?"

"Probably because it's you, isn't it?" Ron replied with a shrug. "Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione and Dioleh are there as well!"

"Mum and Dad dropped us off this morning with all our Hogwarts things," Hermione explained.

"So everything went through with the adoption then?" Harry asked, looking between Dioleh and Hermione.

"Yup," Dioleh replied. "I'm quite glad, actually. Even if they aren't my real parents, Jean and Oscar have been wonderful. Better than foster care." Harry nodded. Everyone went quiet for a moment. Each of them knew Harry had the worst home life of any of them. Breaking the tension, Dioleh asked, "What extra subjects are you guys taking?"

"Care of Magical Creatures and Divination," Harry and Ron said at the same time while Hermione rattled off, "Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies-"

"What are you taking Muggle Studies for?" Ron interrupted. "You're Muggle-born! Your Mum and Dad are muggles! You already know all about muggles!"

Cutting off their argument, Harry asked, "What classes are you taking, Dioleh?"

"Runes and Arithmancy," she replied.

Looking at Dioleh, Hermione said, "I've got fifteen gallons left. Mum and Dad said we can both pick out an early birthday present."

"How about a nice book?" Ron suggested innocently.

"I need some new Quidditch gloves," Dioleh said. Second-year she had tried out for the team and got let on as a chaser, despite the fact that the rest of the team were all boys and, aside from Draco, rather burly. "They shouldn't cost much." Standing, she took five gallons from Hermione and asked, "Anyone want to come with me?"

"I need to get some stuff for Scabbers," Ron said.

"You can come with me to get my owl," Hermione suggested.

"I'll go with you," Harry offered. The group split up and Harry and Dioleh went in to look at Quidditch gloves. Dioleh couldn't help but notice that Harry's eyes were trained on the new broom in the window, the Firebolt. Once she got her gloves, the group reconnected and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.

Mr. Weasley was sitting at the bar reading the Daily Prophet. "Harry!" he said, smiling as he looked up and set aside his paper. "How are you?" The front of the paper showed Sirius Black.

"Fine, thanks," Harry replied. "They haven't caught him then?" Harry asked, looking at the picture of the mass murderer.

"No," Mr. Weasley sighed tiredly. "They've pulled us all off all our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" Ron asked hopefully. "It'd be good to get some more money-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," Mr. Weasley said. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words." Before they could talk more, Mrs. Weasley came in with Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny. Dioleh waved at Ginny but didn't know the rest well enough to talk to them.

That night after dinner, Dioleh and Hermione were getting ready for bed in their shared room at the Leaky Cauldron and had just gotten in bed and turned out the lights when a thought suddenly struck Dioleh's mind. "Hermione?" she whispered quietly.

Turning to look at her in the dark, she replied, "What?"

"What if something bad happens again this year?" she asked softly. "I mean...last year you-"

"I know," Hermione interrupted softly.

"Every year something bad happens," Dioleh said. "I mean first year my father died, Julio was almost killed, and I-" She broke off, realizing that Hermione didn't know yet. "Then second year you got petrified and Harry and Ginny almost died and Aki and Ebony left."

"Why did they leave?" Hermione asked.

"They-" Dioleh began, thinking of a way to phrase it. "They just wanted to go home and learn from their parents instead of the school."

"At least you still have Imani," Hermione replied. "And Andre, right?"

"No, he stopped talking to me," Dioleh admitted.

"Oh," she said.

"Yeah."

"Dioleh, can you sing to me?" Hermione asked after a moment. Smiling, she nodded. Softly, she began to sing a song she remembered her parents singing to her when she was just a little siren. She tried to sing it badly so as to not give herself away but even so her voice was perfectly smooth, transitioning from head-voice to chest-voice so flawlessly you couldn't tell the difference. It was a rich, lilting voice that was pleasant to the ear. Tears pricked Dioleh's eyes. She hadn't sung in a long time. It was a part of herself she had had to leave behind her in the ocean. The only reason she risked singing to Hermione was because she was a muggle and wouldn't recognize the song of a siren. By the time she got to the end of the song, Hermione was fast asleep.

Dioleh yawned, curling up in bed and resting her head on her pillow to sleep.